ARLINGTON, Va., June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Leonardo DRS, Inc. announced today that it will support Homes For Our Troops, a national nonprofit that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.
The company was named the exclusive build-event sponsor for two home builds taking place in 2021 – one in Ramona, Calif., and the other in Muskego, Wis. The houses will support families living within 30 miles of Leonardo DRS facilities, allowing the company’s employees to participate in the Community Kickoff, the Volunteer Day, and Key Ceremony, for each home build.
Following their mission statement of “Building Homes, Rebuilding Lives,” Homes For Our Troops has designed, built, and donated over 318 homes for severely injured military Veterans since 2004. Each home is custom-built to meet the Veteran’s special needs and physical limitations. A pro-bono financial planner is assigned to each family for three years to assist in budgeting and homeownership education to ensure long-term success. Homes For Our Troops also provides regular check-ins with Veterans and access to peer mentoring programs, employment opportunities, education, and more.
“The employees of Leonardo DRS are honored to support the first families of America, our military families, especially for those troops who sustained combat injuries to keep all of us free,” said John Baylouny, Leonardo DRS Chief Operating Officer. “We are looking forward to the build events and salute the service to our nation and the long healthy lives going forward of each of these cherished Veterans and their families.”
The first home Leonard DRS will be the sponsor for is in Ramona, California, and will be donated to retired Army Sergeant Joshua Hooker and his family. Joshua enlisted in the Army in 2003 and was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as a cavalry scout with the 101st Airborne Division. In 2006, Hooker and his unit were hit with an improvised explosive device (IED) while on patrol in Baghdad, resulting in severe damage to both of his legs and an eventual amputation of his left leg.
The second home build will be donated to Marine Lance Corporal Robert “Bobby” McCardle, who was also hit with an IED on his second deployment in Iraq. McCardle underwent more than 40 surgeries to repair the damage from the blast and he was left with an amputated right leg, internal injuries, and a traumatic brain injury (TBI). His new family home will be built in Muskego, Wis.
“When HFOT builds in communities across the country, it is critical to have partners like Leonardo DRS”, said Brig Gen Tom Landwermeyer, USA (Ret), President/CEO, Homes For Our Troops. “They share our commitment to support these severely injured Veterans and their families, and we look forward to having the Leonardo DRS Team join us for Bobby McCardle’s and Josh Hooker’s build events.”
For more information about Leonardo DRS’ support of HFOT, click here.
About Homes For Our Troops (HFOT)
Homes For Our Troops (HFOT) is a publicly funded 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds and donates specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives. Most of these Veterans have sustained life-altering injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). These homes restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country, and enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. HFOT builds these homes where the Veteran chooses to live, and continues its relationship with the Veterans after home delivery to assist them with rebuilding their lives. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 90 cents of every dollar spent has gone directly to our program services supporting Veterans. For more information, visit www.hfotusa.org.
About Leonardo DRS
Leonardo DRS is a leading provider of defense products and technologies that are used across land, air, sea, space and cyber domains. Its diverse array of defense systems and solutions is offered to all branches of the U.S. military, major aerospace and defense prime contractors, government intelligence agencies and international military customers for deployment on a wide range of military platforms. Leonardo DRS focuses its capabilities in areas of critical importance to the U.S. military, such as sensing, electronic warfare & cyber, network computing, communications, force protection and electrical power and propulsion. With a portfolio that includes internally developed proprietary intellectual property and products at the component, sub-system and system level, Leonardo DRS serves as either a prime contractor or a sub-contractor. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Leonardo DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. See the full range of capabilities at www.LeonardoDRS.com
For additional information please contact:
Michael Mount
Vice President, Public Relations and EE Communications
571-447-4624
[email protected]
SOURCE Leonardo DRS, Inc.
